The present invention relates to water treatment systems and more specifically to remotely controllable water treatment systems.
Water treatment systems are commonly used to treat water prior to consumption or other use. The systems remove certain particulate matter and other contaminants from water. This is especially useful when the water will be used for human consumption because the systems can not only make water safer for drinking, but also improve the water's taste, odor, clarity and other aesthetic qualities of the water. Because the water available through the faucets in most homes contains a large number of contaminants, many homeowners install water treatment systems on their kitchen faucets to provide treated water for consumption or other uses. In many conventional systems, water is pumped from the faucet through a countertop water treatment system, where it may be treated by various treatment devices, such as a carbon block filter or an UV lamp. The treated water is returned to and dispensed from the faucet or from a separate treated-water spigot.
The typical household kitchen is equipped with an outlet in a cabinet beneath the sink that is controlled by a switch above the counter. These outlets are intended for use with under-the-sink garbage disposal units. Many home water treatment systems are designed to be located in a cabinet under the counter where they are hidden from sight and do not take up counter space. When water treatment systems are installed under the counter, it is common to use the garbage disposal outlet to power the water treatment system. Because it is desirable to provide constant power to the water treatment system, the switch is constantly left in the “ON” position. This method of installation requires the garbage disposal to be disconnected from the outlet. This is a problem because most consumers would prefer to have both an operational garbage disposal and water treatment system. These consumers are not pleased with the prospect of choosing between the two.
An alternative method is to install an additional outlet near the sink to power the water treatment system. In many cases, an electrician must be hired to wire the outlet at significant expense to the consumer. Even if the consumer chooses to wire the outlet himself, it is both difficult and time consuming to install the additional outlet. For this reason, many people living in homes that are not wired for garbage disposals choose not to install water treatment systems of this type.